Real Change

My good buddy emawkc, cynical and bitter old bastard that he is, thinks that we are all a bunch of sappy, naive, unicorn-riding, butterfly-catching dopes for being happy America elected Barack Obama and thinking anything is going to change.

"But aside from the fact that by definition history is made every day, the only thing remarkable about this election is that Obama is black.

For some people that's enough. Heck, for some people that's the only thing that matters.

As for history and the big "change" that everyone is expecting, I'm surprised that so many are so naive to think that any real change will actually happen.

Politicians are still beholden the money of special interests. With Obama, even more so."

Well, he has already changed some things, hasn't he?

He sure as fuck changed some Red States to Blue States.

But here is the kind of change people wanted and the kind of change they got last night.

A change in approach. A change in leadership. A change in attitude.

Dubya's administration walked into office thinking that since the United States was the sole surviving Super Power from the Cold War, we can call the shots. We have the power to change the world and it is our God Given Mandate to do so.

So they set about stomping all over the world like a bad actor in a rubber Godzilla suit destroying the "Evil Doers" (a.k.a anyone we don't like and weak enough to beat up).

Barack Obama understands the difference between being a Leader and a Bully.

Leadership is all about inspiring people with a vision of where you want to go and what you want to accomplish. If you are an effective leader, people will flock to you because they share your goals and want to help you achieve them.

But bully's don't know how to lead. They only know how to threaten, intimidate and humiliate. Do what I want, the way I want, in the time frame I want, or I'll fuck you up three ways from Sunday!

That was the Bush Doctrine.

Emawkc (and the rest of the Obama detractors), you can say what you want about butterflies and unicorns. But you cannot deny that Obama has true leadership, that he inspires people, that people follow him because they want to, not because they are cattle prodded up the ass with threats of retribution, and fear of dire consequences.

Obama will look for ways to bring people together to achieve a common goal instead of following the Rove doctrine of finding divisive issues to set people apart from each other and create conflict to fuel partisan passions.

Obama will work HARD to re-establish communication with the rest of the world. No more isolationism. No more "our way or the highway". No more "you are with us or against us". The world is only that simple to a simpleton. The simpleton in question only has 75 days left to continue fucking things up.

Obama understands that we all live on this planet together. We all have to succeed or we will all fail. We live in a global economy and a global geo-political stage. There is no going back.

The biggest threat to everyone's security comes from people ANYWHERE in the world, including the U.S., at the bottom who feel like they have nothing to live for and nothing to lose.

If you can find a way to lift up that dangerous layer of the world and give them a reason for living and contributing, you have eliminated the greatest threat to post-modern civilization.

That is the Hope that Obama brings not just to the United States, but to the world.

That's Real Change.